Disney
Your First Disney Trip: A No-Overwhelm Planning Timeline
Disney World planning has a reputation for feeling like a part-time job — booking windows, Lightning Lane, dining reservations that open before sunrise. Here's the actual order things happen in, so nothing sneaks up on you.
Choose dates, resort, and book
Popular resorts and room categories are the first thing to sell out, especially around holidays. This is also when I help you decide between a Disney resort, a partner hotel, or off-site — it changes your dining and Lightning Lane timing later.
Dining reservations open
The window opens around 6 a.m. ET. Resort guests can book their entire stay's dining (up to 10 days) on their 60-day mark; off-site guests have to book each date separately as its own 60-day window arrives. Popular table-service spots can fill within minutes.
Lightning Lane opens
Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass go on sale at 7 a.m. ET — resort guests get a 7-day window, off-site guests get 3 days. I plan your priority list ahead of time so you're not researching this on your phone at 6:59 a.m.
Finalize the plan
Confirm park hours, double-check any special events during your dates, and start packing. This is also when I check in to see if anything about your plans has changed.
Go have the trip
If a ride goes down, a reservation falls through, or you just want to rework a day on the fly, you can reach me directly — that's what makes an advisor useful once you've actually landed.
Disney's booking windows can change — this reflects current 2026 policy, and I'll always confirm the exact dates and times when we plan your trip.
Want this handled for you instead of tracked on a spreadsheet? Let's start planning and I'll keep track of every one of these dates for you.